Boiler-feed-water supply and steam-condensing plant



H. FOTHERGILL AND J. GUNN.

BOILER FEED WATER SUPPLY AND STEAM CONDENSING PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 8, 1919.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922,

I 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I29 T 030m.

9 l 19 wmsn.

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14' i AIRVFNT. 4 i 7 H. FOTHERGILL AND J. GUNN.

BOILER FEED WATER SUPPLY AND STEAM CONDENSING PLANT. APRLICATION FILED NOV-8.1919.

1,408,574. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

jiverz 6m H. FOTHERGILL AND J. GUNN.

BOILER FEED WATER SUPPLY AND STEAM CONDENSING PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.8,1919.

1,408,574. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

4 SHEET 8-SHEET 3.

H. FOTHERGILL AND J. GUNN.

BOILER FEED WATER SUPPLY AND STEAM CONDENSING PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED N0v,s,1919.

Patented Mar 7, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED". STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY Fo'rHERoILL and JAMES GUNN, both subjects of the 'King of Great Britain,'and residents of London, England, and Barrow-in-Furness, England, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Feed-Water Supply and Steam-Condensing Plants, of

, which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to boiler feed'water' supply andsteam condensing plants, and-has particular reference to the deaeration of feed water. I I y In steam plants itis desirable that the water supplied to the boiler should be as free from air as possible, and. it has been found from experiment that such Water can be deaeratedby delivering it into a vessel under a vacuum, or under a pressure less than-the atmosphere.

The primary. object of the present invention is to efiect the deaeration in aneflicient manner having regard both to the effectiveness of the deaeration and also the thermal efficiency of the condensing and deaeration system'asa whole. j r

1 The present invention consists of improved means whereby this deaeration is effected and the primary feature of the invention'is the provision of a deaeration chamber or vessel 1 Which is maintained under vacuum or a partial vacuum by being placed in communication with some part of the vacuum system of the plant other than the main condenser. The invention further comprises the particular construction and arrangement of plant as hereinafter described.

A convenient arrangement in plant where a steam jet ejector apparatus is used to withdraw aerated vapour from the main condenser and deliver it to an auxiliary condenser, is to place the deaeration vessel in communicationwith the vacuum system at some position on or beyond the ejector.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Application filed November 8, 1919. scan time.

feed water or only that portion-such for instance asthedrainage and feed make up Water-w lch requires deaeration may be passed to the deaeration vessel, as desired.

Alternative means may be provided for maintaining the deaeration vessel under vacuumv and n marine plant in particular, where a separate condenser 1s provided for condensing the steam from the auxiliary en? g ines, the deaeration vessel may be placed in communlcatlon with this auxiliary condenser under control of a valve so that when infharhour the vacuum of this auxiliary condenser may be made use of for the purpose, or a separate device such as an exhaushsteam jet may be employed in harbour for producing the desired vacuum in the deaerator.

In. the accompanying drawings we have illustratedembodiments of our. invention, Fig. 1 being a diagrammatic view illustratthe deaeration vessel is separate from the condensing receiver. Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically a modification of the arrangements I shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the-deaeration in this case being effected in a separate vessel located, however, on the discharge side of a heater. Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically the application of our invention to a marine condensing plant in which aerated vapour and condensate are separately withdrawn from the condenser by a steam jet operating in conjunction with reciprocating air pumps, and ,Fig, 5 illustrates diagrammatically the application of our invention to condensing plants in which aerated vapour iswithdrawn from the main condenser and dischargedto atmosphere by steam jets, the condensate bein removed by a centrifugal pump.

Tteferring to these drawings and particularly to Fig. I, the numeral 1 designates the main condense-r from which aerated vapour is withdrawn by the steam jet ejector 2 and delivered thereby to the condensing receiver 3 which is under vacuum in accordance with the iisual practice. The lower part 4 of this condensing receiver 3 forms the deaeration vessel. A second steam jet ejector 5 with til draws from the condensing receiver 3 and 'dischar es into a surface teed heater 6, the air line ly escaping to atmosphere by way of thepipe 7. The condensate from the'main condenser is delivered direct to the feed water system by the pump 8, passing on its Way through the surface teed heater 6 and thence to the boiler "feed system hy way of the pipe 9- The feed heater 6 may be of any desired construction and may he provided with a valve 6 by means of which any ad ditional steam desired for raising the feed water to the required temperature he introduced. The hot drainage or condensed steam from the feed heater 6 passes through the pipe ll, to'the tanh 10, into which feed make-up water is also delivered by way of the pipe l2, the water thus being raised in temperature before admission to the deaeration chamber at by way o no pipe 13 and sprayer i l. The water in contains air, admitte i the deaeration chamher 4 t rough a var 3 l6 under the control of a afloat 15 and losing sprayed into the chamber 4- under vacuum hecoines deaerated, the deaerated water passing oy way of the looped pipe llto the sucsion side of the con densate' pump 8 andm with the practically airless condenses ro m the main condenser 1 passes with through the feed heater 6 to the boilers If desired, the deaeraftinp; chamber may be constructed separately from the intermediate condenser, and: placed under vacuum-bya pipe connecting the former tothe latter. in order to ensure a constant supply of water to the centrifugal ump' to provide for the reliable working" or same, and tor the condensing of the steam from the steam jets under all conditions oi working a pipe 18 may be led from the discharge from the feed heater, and the flow thrbugh such pipe-controlled by a hand operated valve, or a suitable automatic valve 19, for example, as described in the specification of British application No. 13616 of 1911.6, may he employed.

F 1g. 2 shows how the deaeration vessel may be separate from the condensing receiver, this vessel designated 4? being placed in communication with the condensing receive-r3 by a pipe 4!, the pipe 13 leading from the tank 10' to the sprayer it within the deaeration vessel, a pipe 17 leading from the bottom of the deaeration vessel to the looped pipe l? which connects up to the suc tion side of the condensate pump asbefore.

Referring to Fig. 3 the deaeration vessel 20 is a separate vessel arranged on the discharge side of the surface heater 6, this deaeration vessel being placed under the necessary vacuum hy connection through the pipe 21 with the suction system of the second ejector 5. 'lhe condensate discharged from the main condenser l is all delivered into a tanlt Q3 by the pump 6 and a second pump tank i0, which 22 discharges it through the feed heater 6 and'thence by way of the pipe 28 to the deaeratio'n vessel 20. The tank 23 contains a float 24, which by falling when the supply of water from the condenser is reduced operates avalve 25st) that water is by-passed into the main condenser 1 through the pipe 26; llt will clear from the drawing that the deaerated' water passes from the vessel 20 to the holler feed system through the pipe 2'3, the liberated air passing oil by way of the connection pipe 21- lt will be noticed that this eram e difi'ers from the foregoing example in that the whole of the feed water is passed through the deaeration vessel.

Referring to Fig. at we have shown there a marine condensing plant in which aerated vapour is withdrawn from the main con denser 1 a steam jet ejector 2 and delivered to a condensing receiver 3 as hetore. Reciprocating pumps are, however, used in this example, and the. aerated vapour and condensate'are withdrawn from this receiver separately hy means or": the harrel 29, the condensate from the main condenserl being withdrawn hy the other her rel 30. The air discharged from these pumps is allowed to escape to atmosphere and the condensate'flows into a tank 31 by way of the discharge pipe 32. The tank 31 receives the whole of the water required tor boiler feeding urposes.

"lhe deaerating ciamher 20 is separately formed, and is placed under vacuum by connecting it to a part of the vacuum system other than the main condenser. At sea it maybe conveniently placed in communication with the vacuum system on the dis charge side of the ejector where a vacuum of, it may he 2%" exists, the ipe 21 controlled by the valve 33 providing for this.

ln harbour, when the main condensing plantis not operating, the valve-33 may be closed and the deaerating vessel 20 placed under vacuum by communication throiu h the valve controlled pipe Bl with the ships auniliary vacuum condenser 3st, or by other convenient means, such as an. auxiliary steam jet. heed. water is sprayed into the deaerating chamber 20 from the tank 31 under the control of a valve 85 operated by a l'loat inthe dea'erating chamber, sothat a constant level is alwaysinaintained in the latter, and a head oi water provided on the suction side of the feed pump 36. This head on the-suction side of the feed pump may he inc "eased, if desired, hy an inducing nozale 37 supplied with water from the dis charge side of the pump. The feed pump 36 may discharge to the boilers through a surface heater 36 in a welthnown manner, the drainage'water or condensed steam from this heater being led into the tank by a pipe 39 preferably passing; through ilterinp" means such as the filter buckets ll), be-

direct to the feed pump through'a small.

auxiliary surface condenser43 in which the steam dlscharged' from the steam jets is condensed. In this arrangement the deaerationvessel 20 is placed under vacuum by connect ing it by means of the pipe 21 with the steam jet ejector apparatus 2, and the water which is passed through the deaeration vessel is the drainage water and other condensate Which it is desired to deaerate, as for example, the condensate from the auxiliary condenser. Instead of the deaerated water flowing from the deaeration vessel to the feed pump 36 it may flow through the pipe 45, shown in dotted lines, to the suction side of the condensate pump' 8. Provision is here again made for by-passing to the main condenserithrough a pipe 46 in which the controlling valve is operated by any convenient means, the drawing indicating by Way of example the means described in the specification of British application No. 13,616 of 1918. The deaeration vessel may, when the main vacuum system is not in operation, be placed under vacuum ,by communication with other apparatus'under vacuum, asfor example, the auxiliary vacuum condenser 34 connected with it by the valve controlled pipe 34 in the manner before described.-

We wish it to be understood that in using the word vacuum we do not necessarily mean a high vacuum, but any pressure which is less than atmosphere.

What we claim and desire to secure'by Letters Patent is f 1. A steam condensing plant comprising a main condenser, a deaeration vessel, a connection between said deaeration vessel and a part of the vacuum system on the side of the steam jet ejector remote from the main condenser, means for introducing waterto be deaerated to said deaeration vessel and means for discharging said water after deaeration to the boiler feed system.

- 2. A steam condensing plant comprising a main condenser, a steam jet ejector withdrawing aerated vapour from said main condenser and delivering it to a condensing receiver, a deaeration vessel maintained under vacuum by connection with the vacuum sys term at a position on the side of the steam jet ejector remote from the main condenser and means for delivering aerated water to and discharging water from said deaerationvessel. 1

3. A steam condensing plant comprising a main condenser, a steam jet ejector withdrawing aerated vapour from said main condenser and delivering it to a condensing receiver, a deaeration vessel separate from said condensing receiver, a pipe connecting said separate deaeration vessel with the vacuum system of the plant on the discharge side of thesteam jet ejector, and means for delivering water gto be deaerated to and withdrawing the aerated water from said deaeration vessel.

4. A steam condensing plant comprising a main'condenser, a deaeration vessel, a pipe connection between said deaeration vessel and a part of the vacuum system on the side of the steam jet ejector remote from the main condenser, means for introducing water to be deaerated to said deaeration vessel,means for heating said water prior to its introduction. to said deaeration vessel, and means for discharging said water after deaeration to the boiler feed system.

5. A steam condensing plant comprising a main condenser, a steam jet ejector with drawing aerated vapour from said main condenser and deliveringit to a condensing receiver, a deaeration vessel maintained under vacuum by connection with the vacuum system ata position on the steam jet ejector, and means for delivering aerated wvater to and discharging de-aerated water fromsaid deaeration vessel.

6. A steam condensing plant comprising a main condenser, a deaeration vessel, a connection between said deaeration vessel and a part of the vacuum system on the side 'ofthe steam "jet ejector remote from the main condenser, 'means for introducing water to be deaerated to said deaeration vessel, a filter through which said water passes prior to its entry into said deaeration vessel, and means for discharging said water after deaeration to the boiler feed system.

7. A steam condensing plant comprising a main condenser, a deaeration vessel, means for maintaining said deaeration vessel under vacuum, means for delivering to said deaeration vessel only that portion of the boiler feed water which requires deaeration, a filter through which said water passes prior to introducing Water to be deaemted to said deaeration vessel, and means for discharging said Water after deaeration to the boiler feed system.

9. A steam condensing plant comprising mmain condenser, e deaeralion vessel, a Valve controlled pipe connection between deaemlion vessel and l part of the vacuinn system en the side of the steam jel; ejector remelze from the main eendenser, second mil eentrelled pipe cennectien lee-H nenemlien vessel and a secend independent eendenser whereby when the main condenser is not operating, the deaeration vessel can be maintained under vacuum from said independent condenser, means for delivering water to be deaerated to said cleneration vessel and means for discharging the deaernted Water from said denemtien vessel to the beiler feed system.

lln Witness Wheres? We our 

